Wrench.



PATENTED JUNE 2'7, 1905.

E. KRITZER.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED IEB.16,1905.

wihwom g/m attozmu NITED STATES Patented June 27, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

WRENCH.

LSPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,201, da ed June2'7, 1905. Application filed February 16, 1905. Serial No. 245.922.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ELLswon'rn Kerrzuu, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mahatiey, in the county of Clearfield and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inW'renches; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in wrenches of the self-adjustingsocket type; and it consists in the construction, combination, andarrangement of devices hereinafter described and claimed.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensive,durable, and convenient device of this character in which the jaws willbe wedged together or into engagement with a nut by a downward pressureupon the shank or body portion of the wrench and which is well adaptedfor use in a bit-brace.

The above and other objects, which will appear as the nature of myinvention is better understood, are accomplished by means of theconstruction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figurel is a side elevation of a wrench constructed in accordance with myinvention, its jaws being shown engaged with a nut. Fig. 2 is an edgeview of the same. Fig. 3 is a view of the lower or outer end of thewrench. Fig. & is a longitndinal sectional view. Fig. 5 is a transversesectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Fig. at, and Fig. 6 is a detailview of one of the jaws.

Referring to the drawings by numeral, 1 denotes the shank or bodyportion of my improved wrench, which has at one of its ends a casing 2of substantially rectangular form. This casing has an open bottom orlower end 3 and side openings 4: adjacent to its upper end, and it maybe formed integrally with orsecured upon the lower end of the shank l,as desired. As shown in the drawings, the upper end of the shank 1 isformed with a tapered polygo-' nally-shaped head 5, which is adapted toenter and be secured in the socket ot' a bit-brace; but it will beunderstood that a cross-handle or any other suitable operating devicemay be applied to the upper end of said shank.

Slidably mounted within the casing 2 is a pair of oppositely-curved jawmembersG, which have their opposite ends projecting through the openings3 and 4 in said casing. These members 6 have at their lower outer endsnut-engaging jaws '7, which, as shown, are formed with V-shaped recesses8, adapted to engage the corners of a nut, bolt-head, or the like, asclearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The opposing or adjacent faces of thejaw members .6 are formed with meshing cogteeth 9 and recesses 10, bymeans of which said members are caused to move together. As shown inFigs. 5 and 6, the cog-teeth and recesses on each jaw member are inalinement with each other, so that the cogs of one jaw member enter therecesses on the other. Owing to the shape of the jaw members 6 and thedisposition ot'a wedge 11, located within the casing between the upperends of said members, it will be seen that as the latter are moved intoand out of the lower end of the casing the jaws 7 will be moved towardand from each other to permit them to engage nuts of different sizes.This wedge 11 also limits the upward or inward movement of the jawmembers 6, and their downward movement is limited by a stop 12, which ispreferably in the form of a pin or rivet passed transversely through thecasing 2 between the lower ends of said jaw members.

The construction, operation, and advantages of my improved wrench willbe readily understood from the foregoingdescription,taken in connectionwith the accompanying drawings. It will be seen that when the wrench isheld with its end 3 downwardly the jaws or jaw members 6 will drop bygravity to their open position, so that they may be readily placed overa nut or the like, and that by pressing the shank or body 1downwardlythe jaw members will be moved into the casing 2 and the jaws Twill be wedged into engagement with the corners of the nut. It will beseen that the greater the pressure exerted upon the body or shank thetighter the jaws A wrench constructed as will grasp the nut.

described is well adapted for use in a bitbrace, since it can be droppedinto a hole, corner, or any inaccessible place for the purpose oftightening or loosening a nut which may be therein.

Various changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is i 1. A wrench comprising a body or casing,a pair of oppositely-curved jaws slidably mounted therein, meshingcog-teeth and recesses upon the adjacent faces of said jaws, and a wedgewithin said body or casing between said jaws, substantially asdescribed.

2. A wrench comprising a shank having a casing at one of its ends,curved jaw members slidably mounted in said casing and projectingthrough the same, nut-engaging jaws upon the outer ends of said jawmembers, meshing cog-teeth and recesses upon the adjacent faces of saidjaw members, a wedge in said casing, between the upper ends of said jawmembers, and a transverse]y-disposed stop pin or rivet in said casingbetween-the lower ends of said jaw members, substantially as described.

8. A wrench comprising a body'or shank, curved jaws slidably mounted insaid body or shank and having meshing cog-teeth and re-' cesses upontheir adjacent faces to cause them to move together, and a stop-pin forlimiting the movement of said jaws.

4. A wrench comprising a shank having one end. adapted for engagementwith a bit-brace, a hollow body or casing at the other end of saidshank, curved jaws slidably mounted in said casing and projectingthrough the same, meshing cog-teeth and recesses formed in the adjacentfaces of said jaws for causing them to move simultaneously into and outof said body or casing, a wedge in said body or casing coacting withsaid-jaws, and astop in said body or casing for limiting the movement ofsaid jaws, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

ELLSWORTH. KRITZER.

